[PEmom]

is there anyway to compare school scores between Fairfield and Westchester?

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

If there is, it would be irrelevant anyway. Every town and city here has their own autonomous system/curriculum plans. In the state of CT, looking at cumulative averages for each county won't tell you anything because there are typically dramatic differences between city scores and town scores.

[7 Wishes]

Would be hard to compare as it is 2 different tests. NYS has the Regents (and an unnamed test for the lower grades) and CT has the CMT (for elementary/middle school) and the CAPT (for 10th grade). Also, lots of urban vs. suburban variation within the counties (think of Mt. Vernon vs. Scarsdale for Westchester, or Bridgeport vs. Greenwich for Fairfield).

Both are among the toughest state school tests in America (not to knock the South, but look at a sample one of these tests and then look at a state test from Alabama or Mississippi.....even most educational leaders agree they don't compare), so they may be comparable, although CT is one of the few to have open ended Math questions (NY may now as well, I don't know as much about the modern Regents tests). The Northeast (and particularly CT, NY, MA, NJ, and to some extent VT) has a reputation for a pretty strong educational climate/culture, the Regents have been around since the 1940s and CMT/CAPT since 1985 (the latter also being the first in the country to have significant numbers of open-ended essay type questions).

[renovating]

Originally Posted by PEmom

is there anyway to compare school scores between Fairfield and Westchester?

You can compare SAT scores, graduation rates and percent of students going on to higher education at the high school level.

A decent school district will have decent SAT scores.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by renovating

A decent school district will have decent SAT scores.

Yes but not necessarily the highest score. A lot has to do with how many kids take the tests to begin. If a high percentage of kids take the test, then the average could be lower since there are more kids to spread the average across. Some commmunities push the test for everyone, others will only push it for their best students. Keep this in mind when considering any test score averages. Jay

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by renovating

You can compare SAT scores, graduation rates and percent of students going on to higher education at the high school level.

A decent school district will have decent SAT scores.

I disagree. The three examples you gave to define a "decent school district" only defines a 'wealthy school district'. SAT scores only show the ability of students to prepare for the exam. Students who are wealthier and are able to have high school SAT courses, or paid tutors, will obviously do better. This has nothing to do with the way one's child will perform in any given district.

I would say researching the curriculum would be the best way tell which schools are better for whom.

[kmbrewer2]

.....or how about looking at percentqage of students going onto 4 year colleges

[GrotonMan]

I'm just saying, this is definitely the most controversial topic on this entire forum. You could post a thread debating the morality of infecting babies with anthrax for research purposes and people would seem absolutely apathetic compared to debating how to compare schools.

Really, what scores you want to compare depends on what you find to be important in education. Could you maybe narrow down what you want in a school (district)? That could possibly help to referee the octagon that forms here.

Good luck PEmom.